Coping with Trauma

Psychological trauma may set in after a distressing or life-threatening event. Sufferers may develop extreme anxiety or PTSD, or they may have ongoing problems with relationships and self-esteem. But many overcome trauma, offering inspiration to others who have had life-altering negative experiences.

Recent posts on Trauma

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Violent Female Offenders

By Joni E Johnston Psy.D. on January 29, 2018 in The Human Equation
Violent female offenders often give us clues to their future during their childhood and teen years. So why do we miss them?
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What a French Psychoanalyst Can Teach Us About Trauma

I wasn't sure how to help my client Robert, a trauma survivor with a complex delusional system, until I found help in an unlikely source: the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan.
CCO Creative Commons

What Everybody Should Know About Survivor's Guilt

By Diana Raab PhD on January 26, 2018 in The Empowerment Diary
Have you ever felt bad when you survived a situation that others have not? Chances are you are experiencing survivor's guilt. Read here to find out more about it.
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Presidential and Olympian Scandals: Why Are We Complicit?

By Steven Huprich, Ph.D. on January 26, 2018 in Personality Matters
How can our personalities make us complicit to victimization?

Childhood Sexual Trauma and Addiction

Many childhood sexual trauma survivors suffer from mental-health issues and use drugs as a means of coping.

The Psychology of Gotham City (Volume 1)

By Loren Soeiro, Ph.D. ABPP on January 25, 2018 in I Hear You
You can learn a lot about psychopathology from reading Batman comic books, where the villains are psychological disorders writ large, wearing their diagnoses like costumes.
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The African Prince in Exile

Robert appeared in my clinic for the trauma of being kidnapped at birth and robbed of his birthright as an African prince. How could I untangle the trauma from his delusions?

Massive Eating After Sexual Trauma

In the time of the #MeToo movement, we need to start looking at symptoms from the damages victims experience.

Changing the Narrative (Part 1)

By John Sean Doyle on January 23, 2018 in Luminous Things
Often the stories we tell ourselves, ignore how brave we’ve been. Too often they neglect the healing and growth that is possible. We are more than the stories we tell.

Community Responses to Consent Violations

This second blog in a series about consent violations in consensually non-monogamous relationships examines community responses to infractions against community members.

Sexual Assault and Neuroscience: Alarmist Claims vs. Facts

A misleading article in The Atlantic provides an opportunity to clarify key facts about the well-established neurobiology of stress and trauma.

The Relationship Between Stress,Trauma & Diabetes Type 2

How stress and trauma contribute to Diabetes Type 2, and what to do about it.

Why Are So Few Programs for Survivors of War Scaled Up?

A shift in how we do research can help make findings more relevant to real-world practice.

Is Scott Peterson Innocent?

By Mark Godsey J.D. on January 18, 2018 in Blind Injustice
A&E's "The Murder of Laci Peterson" exposes psychological flaws in justice system.

Mothers, Eating Disorders, and Histories of Trauma

Advice and reflections for mothers with a history of trauma and an eating disorder. What is an attempt to be corrected or avoided gets repeated.

Stories That Heal Primal Wounds

By Darcia Narvaez Ph.D. on January 15, 2018 in Moral Landscapes
Primally wounded people often feel betrayed by their selves, their bodies, their weaknesses. Stories can jar us loose when we get mired in these traps.

Brain Networks in TMS for Combined PTSD and Major Depression

Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a promising treatment for people with both PTSD and depression. New TMS research gives insight into how to refine existing approaches.

Post-Traumatic Growth and Post-Traumatic Stress Can Coexist

By Christopher Bergland on January 14, 2018 in The Athlete's Way
We commonly associate PTSD with natural disasters. Surprisingly, a new study reports that personal growth can coexist with post-traumatic stress in the years following.

Look Closer: How to Spot Human Trafficking Victims

Human trafficking is an insidious epidemic, but it is not invisible. They key is knowing what to look for, and where to look.

Rape Victims' Reactions Misunderstood by Law Enforcement

Most rape victims suffer secondary victimization by the justice system.

Closure Is Overrated

"You need closure." Heard that before? Here's why getting closure is unrealistic in some circumstances.

"Could It Happen to Me?" Our Personal Risk Factors

"There are personal risk factors that dramatically increase the chances of developing an addiction." Excerpted from The Craving Brain

3 Ways of Saying "No" to Unwanted Sex

Research on refusal to provide consent for sex begins to sketch out the complicated landscape of how people say "No," when "No means no!" is one important part of the picture.

A Review of HBO's "Big Little Lies"

The HBO hit, "Big Little Lies," shows us all that domestic violence between parents affects our children, even if your child is never personally abused.

Attachment Style, Adult Well-Being, and Childhood Trauma

Research spanning decades looks at how maltreatment of children plays out in adulthood.

Never in Vain

By G.A. Bradshaw PhD, PhD on January 06, 2018 in Bear in Mind
One man's work from the ground up helps to unchain elephant minds and bodies.

Combating Sexual Abuse in Youth Sports

Children of all races, ethnicities, cultures, and economic backgrounds are vulnerable to sexual abuse.

Unspoken Legacy

By The Book Brigade on January 04, 2018 in The Author Speaks
Addiction affects the whole family, and it often has multi-generational roots that go unrecognized and unaddressed, even by therapists.

How Therapy Works: What it Means to ‘Process an Issue’

By Noam Shpancer Ph.D. on January 03, 2018 in Insight Therapy
People often are advised to go to therapy to “process” some issue. But what does “processing an issue” actually mean?
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Building Resilient Communities in Times of Adversity

We live in a time of political chaos, terrorism, civil unrest, and economic unpredictability. We must build resilient communities if we are to survive and thrive. Here's how.